The Zeiger Family Homestead Blog

I just took the definitive steps to free myself of my Fitbit®.

I used a Fitbit exercise-tracking device back in 2015 (see Fitbit® Foolishness). Sometime more recently, I tried a newer version of the old Flex, called an Alta. Our health insurance company offers a discount on them, so why not, even though everything I said in the post linked above still stands?

I can’t remember when I got that and started using it. I do know that the first one died not too long after I received it and started wearing it.

I had to go through a lot of hoops before the company sent a new one. Apparently, Google bought Fitbit® a while back, some time after abandoning their old motto: “Do no evil.” So, it’s not like I wasn’t warned. But, the first one I owned, the Flex, died, and they replaced it immediately, so I assumed the same thing would happen this time. No such luck.

My late, unlamented Fitbit (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

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Sharpening Our Knives

About once a year, I pull out my knife sharpening kit to sharpen the kitchen knives. This year, I managed to do it in January, rather than March, when I generally get around to it.

My main task, in a sharpening session, is to sharpen the kitchen knives, primarily our carbon steel “Old Hickory” set (see High Carbon Steel Kitchen Knives) although I generally pick up a few other blades, like our pocket knives. If I’m going to make a big production, I may as well go all out.

Before I continue, I must stress: many knife sharpening systems exist, and there are many ways to sharpen knife blades. I am not advocating my method, or implying it is in any way superior to other methods. It’s merely the method I use.

Mark uses his Lansky sharpener on a kitchen knife (Photo: Sarah A. Zeiger).

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Finally Fitbit Free

Sharpening Our Knives

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